Studios now setting movie release dates into 2018

A scene from 2011's "Rise of the Planet of the Apes." Another "Planet of the Apes" spinoff is due next May 23.

A scene from 2011's "Rise of the Planet of the Apes." Another "Planet of the Apes" spinoff is due next May 23. (WETA / 20th Century Fox)

John Horn

It’s apparently never too early to make your movie plans for the summer — even if it’s five years away.

Hollywood studios love staking out release dates many months in advance, a tactic to ensure that they have some of the best weekends all to themselves.

But what has been an industry fixation has turned into a full-blown obsession, with a spate of companies planting release date flags as far out as 2018, even though many of the films haven’t yet started production.

It’s not surprising that many of the key weekends next summer already have been claimed.

The next “Spider-Man” movie arrives on May 2; another “Planet of the Apes” spinoff comes out May 23; with sequels to “21 Jump Street,” “How to Train Your Dragon” and “Transformers” debuting on June 13, 20 and 27, respectively.

What’s more noteworthy is that the major studios, particularly with animated movies, are looking so far out on the horizon. Twentieth Century Fox has picked dates for a third “How to Train Your Dragon” film (June 17, 2016), “Ferdinand” (April 7, 2017) and eight separate, untitled animated movies all the way through Dec. 21, 2018.